What does a software product manager do?
Software product managers are individuals who lead and handle products from their inception to their phase-out. The managers establish customer value and carry out measurable benefits for business. They translate data from the discovery phase into product requirements. Understanding technology, expertise in the field, technical skills are necessary to become successful in this job. They analyze competition in the market and the factors that make it valuable.
Software product manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real software product manager resumes:
- Manage a cross functional team including UX/UI, Java, QA counterparts.
- Manage multiple aspects of product design and end user analysis for Java base medical practice management & HIPAA compliance tools.
- Manage implementation of divisional intranet and CRM software.
- Manage deployment and integration of industry leading SaaS billing and e-commerce processing systems.
- Manage horizontal UX prototyping resource needs, implementing effective collaborative expectations and cross-product timeline allocation strategies.
- Act as a scrum master for the project.
- Establish and stabilize SDLC development and QA environment.
- Design UI layouts and icons for in-house software.
- Design both back office UI and front end UI and interactivity for multiple world class casino TV system.
- Develop roadmap for analytics and mobile solutions including architecture recommendations for data management
- Identify SaaP and SaaS software solutions/partnerships to differentiate Motorola's device and accessory portfolio.
- Award several control system relate patents as a result.design underlying architecture for multiple control system programming applications.
- Utilize SQL to support data-driven analysis and decision processes to inform project prioritization, assess feature effectiveness, and troubleshoot issues.
- Organize teams to productize inventions from IP to path to market.
- Manage horizontal UX prototyping resource needs, implementing effective collaborative expectations and cross-product timeline allocation strategies.
Software product manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 10% of Software Product Managers are proficient in Product Management, Software Products, and Software Development. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Creativity.
We break down the percentage of Software Product Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Product Management, 10%
Manage software licensing lines from purchasing to product management, interacting with sales and vendors to satisfy relationship expectations.
- Software Products, 9%
Gathered detailed specifications from end users to create functional and technical specifications for future enhancements to the existing software product.
- Software Development, 6%
Gathered customer feedback analyzed data and reported back to software development teams.
- Scrum, 5%
Certified Scrum product owner managing adaptation from phase-gate to Agile Scrum methodology
- User Stories, 5%
Write user stories, use cases, behavioral, and business process flow diagrams via UML Methodology.
- Product Development, 5%
Supervised product development, product marketing and legal compliance for start-up venture offering web-based consumer and B-to-B software applications.
Common skills that a software product manager uses to do their job include "product management," "software products," and "software development." You can find details on the most important software product manager responsibilities below.
Analytical skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a software product manager to have is analytical skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "advertising, promotions, and marketing managers must be able to analyze industry trends to determine the most promising strategies for their organization." Software product managers often use analytical skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "developed teams for analysis, design, engineering, quality assurance, customer support, training & technical writing. "
Communication skills. Another essential skill to perform software product manager duties is communication skills. Software product managers responsibilities require that "managers must be able to communicate effectively with a broad-based team made up of other managers or staff members during the advertising, promotions, and marketing process." Software product managers also use communication skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "directed revenue assurance, security and wireless management software product migrations for large telecommunication companies in canada and the bahamas. "
Creativity. software product managers are also known for creativity, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to software product manager responsibilities, because "advertising, promotions, and marketing managers must be able to generate new and imaginative ideas." A software product manager resume example shows how creativity is used in the workplace: "developed product line forecast and monitored manufacturing build plan to meet inventory goals. "
Interpersonal skills. A big part of what software product managers do relies on "interpersonal skills." You can see how essential it is to software product manager responsibilities because "managers must deal with a range of people in different roles, both inside and outside the organization." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical software product manager tasks: "possess strong analytical, communication and interpersonal skills. "
Organizational skills. A commonly-found skill in software product manager job descriptions, "organizational skills" is essential to what software product managers do. Software product manager responsibilities rely on this skill because "advertising, promotions, and marketing managers must manage their time and budget efficiently while directing and motivating staff members." You can also see how software product manager duties rely on organizational skills in this resume example: "scheduled intra-organizational meetings to collaborate with directors of marketing, finance, operations, and business development. "
The three companies that hire the most software product managers are:
- Applied Materials301 software product managers jobs
- MiTek62 software product managers jobs
- Zebra Technologies52 software product managers jobs
Compare different software product managers
Software product manager vs. Media manager
Media managers oversee the department that works on the different communication needs of the company. They execute the communications strategies of the company. They are expected to be updated with the current trends on media platforms. They should also be very familiar with the company and are attuned to the company's brand and image so that they can create relevant communications campaigns. Media managers oversee content creation on different media platforms. They manage the research related to the content they are working on. They develop materials and ensure that these materials are engaging and relatable to the target audience.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, software product manager responsibilities require skills like "product management," "software products," "software development," and "scrum." Meanwhile a typical media manager has skills in areas such as "kpis," "media planning," "media management," and "powerpoint." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Media managers tend to make the most money working in the automotive industry, where they earn an average salary of $108,113. In contrast, software product managers make the biggest average salary, $137,812, in the automotive industry.The education levels that media managers earn slightly differ from software product managers. In particular, media managers are 11.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a software product manager. Additionally, they're 1.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Software product manager vs. Product lead
A product lead is responsible for monitoring the development of new products and services of an organization, starting from brand conceptualization to official market release and distribution. Product leads identify effective product management by conducting data analysis and evaluating market statistics of customer demands. They coordinate with the clients on their specifications and requirements, including the budget limit and timely deliverables. A product lead manages the brand promotion on media platforms, creating content that adheres to the target audience.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, software product manager responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "software products," "software development," "product vision," and "competitive analysis." Meanwhile, a product lead has duties that require skills in areas such as "cloud," "product design," "product lifecycle management," and "continuous improvement." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Product leads earn a higher average salary than software product managers. But product leads earn the highest pay in the hospitality industry, with an average salary of $129,039. Additionally, software product managers earn the highest salaries in the automotive with average pay of $137,812 annually.In general, product leads achieve similar levels of education than software product managers. They're 0.6% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 1.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Software product manager vs. Product director
The duties of a product director depend on one's place or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around overseeing the product development operations to ensure smooth flow and efficiency, devise strategies to improve processes, gather relevant data such as sales and customer feedback, and coordinate with different departments in developing new products and services. Furthermore, as a director, it is essential to lead and encourage departments to meet goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations, including its mission and vision.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a software product manager is likely to be skilled in "user stories," "architecture," "c++," and "c #," while a typical product director is skilled in "product design," "kpis," "client facing," and "market trends."
Product directors earn the best pay in the internet industry, where they command an average salary of $155,810. Software product managers earn the highest pay from the automotive industry, with an average salary of $137,812.When it comes to education, product directors tend to earn similar degree levels compared to software product managers. In fact, they're 0.5% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.5% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Software product manager vs. Category manager
Category managers are usually employed in the retail industry. They are primarily responsible for the sales enhancement of a specific group of products. The managers are involved in pricing, marketing, inventory, and vendor management. Their daily tasks include meeting with suppliers to talk about the plans, conducting orientation to the market research company, and updating category reports. Qualified applicants must have a degree in business administration or a related field as well as relevant job experience in a related job.
Types of software product manager
Updated January 8, 2025